Sector 56 Bulk Market Auction to Begin in April; Marble, Furniture Traders Eligible

Chandigarh to auction plots in Sector 56 Bulk Market in April

Chandigarh:
The Chandigarh administration will begin auctioning plots in the newly developed Sector 56 Bulk Market in the first week of April, marking a major step towards relocating the long-pending marble market from Dhanas. Any trader will be eligible to participate in the auction. Besides marble traders, furniture dealers displaced from Sector 54 will also be allowed to bid for plots and booths in the new market.

Spread over 44 acres, the Bulk Market is being developed at an estimated cost of ₹20 crore. The project comprises 191 one-kanal plots and 48 booth sites. Allottees of one-kanal plots will be permitted to construct a basement along with three floors, as per approved building norms.

UT estate officer-cum-deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said the auction process would kick off in early April and expressed hope that the marble market would be shifted from Dhanas within the next couple of months. “Environmental clearance for the project is expected by the first week of February. Once the auction is completed, the administration will initiate the relocation process, which is scheduled to begin in May,” he said.

The marble market, which has been functioning in Dhanas for several decades, will be shifted to Sector 56, where a combined marble and furniture hub is now planned. While the original proposal was limited to relocating marble traders, it has since been expanded to accommodate furniture dealers from Sector 54 as well.

As per norms, projects spread over more than 20,000 square yards require mandatory clearance from the environment ministry. For the Sector 56 project, 332 trees falling within the alignment have been removed after obtaining the necessary approvals. The existing marble market at Dhanas occupies nearly 200 acres of agriculturally viable land, which will be vacated once the relocation is completed.

The delay in shifting the Dhanas marble market was largely due to the absence of environmental clearance. The market has been occupied for over 30 years, despite the Punjab and Haryana high court declaring such temporary markets illegal and ordering their removal. Last year, the estate department vacated the furniture market in Sector 53, freeing land estimated to be worth around ₹1,500 crore.

Leasehold plots, collector rate as reserve price

The administration has decided to auction around 200 one-kanal plots and 52 booths in the Bulk Market strictly on a leasehold basis, with no provision for conversion to freehold. The reserve price has been fixed at the prevailing collector rate of ₹3 lakh per square yard. A floor area ratio (FAR) of 1.5 has been approved, though the estate department is exploring the possibility of increasing it.

Allottees will be allowed to construct ground, first and second floors, depending on business needs and in accordance with Chandigarh administration’s building rules and bylaws. However, traders have been demanding freehold plots and booths instead of leasehold allotments.

Surveys conducted by the administration in 2016 and 2018 at the marble markets in Dhanas and Sarangpur recorded 188 marble shops. Although the high court had ordered the removal of these illegal markets, environmental clearance requirements delayed the process. The new Bulk Market plan also includes provisions for adequate parking and essential facilities for traders and customers.